Day for Night Artist Spotlight: Shabazz Palaces

Sub Pop is a record label located in Seattle, Washington, famously known for signing artists like Nirvana and Soundgarden during the Grunge era of the 80’s and 90s. Since then, their acts have more or less leaned towards the alternative rock scene. Shabazz Palaces, however, is an interesting outlier to this trend. Although they’re alternative, their sound is far from rock music, taking the form of hip-hop instead. A duo out of the Space Needle city, Shabazz Palaces is actually a duo consisting of Ishmael Butler (of Digable Planets) and Tendai Maraire.

To those not familiar with Shabazz Palaces, their music is similar to that of Los Angeles based producer Flying Lotus. Erratic sampling, abrupt starts and stops, unconventional instrumentation are but a few of the ways to describe the music Shabazz Palaces creates. Their first full length album, Black Up, was released to critical acclaim in 2011, with their double release, Quazarz, being being released earlier this past July. They’ve also worked with Flying Lotus and acclaimed bassist Thundercut under the pseudonym Woke, having released one single under the supergroup moniker.

Their live performances have Ismael on vocals with Tendai managing a wide array of instruments depending on their setlist, capturing the attentions of audiences with their strong stage presence. It’s no surprise that they will be attending Day for Night alongside other critically acclaimed performers to deliver what promises to be a strong finish to Houston’s 2017. Catch them live here, you don’t wanna miss their one-of-kind live theatrics.